2006-05-05
by Nancy Reiley
Pierre Birebent always knew he would be a winemaker. His family in Corsica has owned vineyards there since 1839, and Pierre followed in their tradition, additionally obtaining a degree in viticulture and enology from the prestigious Lycée Agricole Macon-Davaye in the Burgundian region of France. After finishing his degree, he decided to take a year off and travel around the winegrowing regions of the world. He didn’t go back.
Pierre came to Napa Valley for the harvest of 1985, working first for Pine Ridge Winery, then Stag’s Leap Winery and Kuleto Family Vineyard. He joined Signorello Vineyards in 1998 where he is now both Winemaker and Vineyard Manager.
Coincidentally, 1985 was also the year of one of the finest harvests and vintages for California wine in decades, and it was then that the Signorello family, respected winegrowers in Napa Valley, decided to use their grapes to make their own wines.
French classic varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Semillon – thrived in the soil and climate of the valley, and it seemed only natural that a gifted French winemaker would find his way there.
Pierre Birebent, who oversees the vineyards as well as the winemaking, says: “Tending the grapes all the way to the bottle gives me tremendous quality control. I practice the classic French style of winemaking, which means that the Signorello wine style starts in the vineyard. All our wines are estate-grown and estate-bottled (except a little bit of Pinot Noir and Zinfandel), so we have complete quality control over how they are made. We reduce the crop during the growing season to two to three tons per acre. This gives great concentration and intensity to the fruit and thus to the wine. We make fewer than six thousand cases of wine each year, so each wine is basically hand-crafted. We don’t plan to increase our production, either, because we want to continue giving each lot of wine the individual attention it needs to be the very best.”
Two of Pierre’s favorite Signorello wines are Seta and Cabernet Sauvignon. Seta is a unique blend of 60% Semillon and 40% Sauvignon Blanc, making a rich, fruit-filled white wine with a hint of spice and a texture in the mouth like silk, (Seta means “silk” in Italian.) Not yet bottled, the 2005 Seta will be available this summer. Pierre’s 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Unfiltered, it has a deep rich color and a full-bodied texture. Plum and black currant are dominant fruit flavors, with notes of vanilla and cedar from 21 months of aging in French oak barrels.
Pierre’s award-winning wines (including accolades from Robert M. Parker and Wine Enthusiast Magazine for Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Syrah) are available almost exclusively at the Signorello tasting room. Because of the extremely limited case production, the wines are simply not widely distributed. All the more reason to make a stop at this lovely east-valley winery on the Silverado Trail. (Hint: the Silverado Trail is not nearly as heavily trafficked as Hwy. 29.) The tasting room, with sweeping views of the valley and a welcoming staff, is open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You’ll find it at 4500 Silverado Trail, Napa, between Trancas Street and Oak Knoll Avenue.
For more information, call (707) 255-5990 or go to the winery’s website at www.signorellovineyards.com.
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